Siloxane oligomers can be used for many purposes, including abrasion resistant coatings, antistatic coatings, hydrophobic coatings, non-stick release coatings, corrosion resistant coatings, optical coatings such as optical fiber coatings and anti-reflective coatings, optical waveguides, adhesives, composites, oils, encapsulants for semiconductors, and coupling agents to promote adhesion between organic and inorganic surfaces.
Siloxane oligomers have been prepared by hydrolysis of silicon alkoxides, resulting in the formation of silanol monomers. Condensation and polymerization reactions of silanol monomers yield the siloxane oligomers. The hydrolysis and condensation reactions are accelerated by acid catalysts such as HCl, H2SO4, HF or by base catalysts such as NH3 or NaOH. In the absence of such catalysts, these reactions proceed very slowly. In addition, the functionality of the resulting oligomers may be impaired, as these catalysts can react with and degrade the functionality of the siloxane oligomers, as well as other functional groups present, during synthesis reactions.